By Toby McIntosh
The UN’s methane emissions detection project notified governments and companies about 127 large methane emissions detected in the oil and gas sector during 2023, according to a report issued Dec. 1.
What will be disclosed about these incidents, and future ones, remains unclear.
The 2023 activities of the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) run by the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) at the UN Environment Programme are described in the report and in a press release.
Left unanswered are some key questions about how IMEO will fulfill its pledge “to deliver unprecedented transparency on methane emissions.”
Consistent with past statements, the report says public disclosure about large methane emissions will follow confidential efforts to work with governments and those responsible for the emissions.
The report reiterates, “Following the trial phase, within 45 to 75 days post detection, IMEO will publicly disclose all satellite-detected emission events.”
The strategy is to first notify governments and the responsible parties about large emissions detected by satellites and also to “support and track progress towards mitigation.”
The report highlights one success story. Ten methane plumes were detected in March of 2023 in Argentina. They were associated with three oil and gas facilities, which are not identified. The problem was “collaboratively eliminated,” according to the report.
Methane is considered responsible for about 30 percent of global warming and satellite imagery has emerged as a key detection method. While various public and private sources exist for satellite images, the MARS project promised expert analysis and more transparency about major emissions.
Ambiguity on Transparency Plans
Whether IMEO will disclose information about the 127 methane emissions identified and acted on during 2023 remains to be seen.
The pilot program, which began in January and was to end in July, was extended, with officials saying announcements would be made during COP28, now ongoing in Dubai. (See June EYE article.) An IMEO official said in February that following the “engagement period” with government and companies IMEO would release visual images, “all non-proprietary data and meta data” and “summaries” of responses by emitters and governments.
The new report references the trial period, hinting that disclosures might cover emissions detected in 2023. “IMEO also worked with partners to improve processes prior to MARS becoming fully operational in late 2023, with full disclosure of all past and ongoing alerts,” according to the report.
However, IMEO did not announce a specific disclosure plan, but alludes to a “portal.”
The press release states, “Beyond this initial release of MARS data on the IMEO Methane Data portal, IMEO will regularly make new data publicly available to continue increasingly accountability and demonstrate the opportunity for methane action.”
Many More Emissions Detected
The report reveals the broad scope of the methane project.
Since January 2023, IMEO has detected nearly 1,500 methane plumes across the globe from the energy sector (Table 2). Of these plumes, nearly 600 could be attributed to facilities using higher-resolution satellites. This allowed UNEP’s MARS initiative to notify government focal points and relevant OGMP 2.0 member companies with actionable information on 127 of these plumes in the oil and gas sector.
The referenced Table 2 says in which energy sectors and on which continents the plumes were located.
In an interview with Reuters, Manfredi Caltagirone, the head of IMEO, said, “”Every kilogram of methane matters, but what we can see from our satellites is only the most outrageous of those emissions.”
And quoted by Bloomberg, Caltagirone said of the Argentina example, “This is the first example of how we really can make this data actionable.’’
Aaron Clark of Bloomberg on Nov. 30 authored an article detailing industry pushback on the accuracy and use of satellite detection. Clark wrote:
The attempt by an oil corporation to disprove research regarding its pollution is a troubling echo of the industry’s decades-long pushback against scientific research connecting fossil fuels and global warming. While most of these companies backed down from that stance years ago, a nascent movement questioning the ability of satellites to track methane is now casting doubt on a technology that’s increasingly accepted by companies, investors and US and European regulators.
UNEP Denies Access to MARS Document
Eye on Global Transparency in early 2023 asked UNEP for a copy of its contract with Kayrros, a major company in the detection of methane emissions by satellite.
UNEP declined to release the contract, calling it “confidential.” EYE appealed the denial on March 8 and UNEP has yet to act on the appeal. EYE has written about apparent dysfunction in the UNEP process for handling of requests for information and appeals. (See October article and September article.)
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